Lost Heart, Shattered Souls
by rdemon
Summary: Raf thought Sulfus was gone. She has lost all will to live and only is alive to keep her promise to him. But what happens when Raf meet a man, who was a splitting image of Sulfus but is completely different from the Devil she loves. For the first time since Sulfus disappearance Raf heart felt something other than grief and pain. But is Adrian really what he seems? RafxSulfus
1. Chapter 1

Epilogue  
The large mansion was empty, dreary, and depressing, reflecting the way she feels. As she stood in the drawing-room taking in the peeling wallpapers, stained covered carpet and leaks (and that weren't even the worst of it) was dreadful. But Raf could see how it was once been in better care with gleaming chandelier, pristine wallpaper that aren't sagging with age and plush carpet to sink one feet into. Regal and homely. As her eyes roves her infant-hood home, her heart feels heavier than ever. She could have grown up here as a Terrestrial instead of being a Celestial being.  
She wrapped her arm around that wistful thought, a rueful smile on her beautiful face. It would save her the trouble from all this pain. Sighing, Raf dismissed the thought from her head and reminisce the event that brought her here, a broken angel with a broken heart. The angel who fell in love with a devil and had paid the worst price. Exiled from the Higher Spheres and stripped of her power, she should be devastated but Raf has known grief like no other and her exile had brought nothing but relief.  
Numb, that is the only thing that can describe the lack of emotion in her. Simple joys in life that she enjoyed so much before are now meaningless. Even her friends were not much of a distraction.  
Make no mistake, Raf still loves her friends. But her grief and despair numbs all other experience out that being without them was a better relief than being with them. They remind her of the better times that was like salt to her gaping bleeding wound.  
She climbs the large spiraling staircases remembering; how she ran down them, with adrenaline coursing through her vein, with Reina's underlings hot on her heel with thoughts of her loved ones in her mind came. He had been there, along with many others, a suppressed but prominent image in her head, unwanted, but there nonetheless.  
Her mouth twisted ruefully. Those good old days, when she can afford to dismiss him from her mind. She never could of course, but the effort had been harmless. Now, now she'd give everything to be able to think of him without having her already so mangled heart more torn. Without the tears that rocked her to her sleep and the nightmares which she was haunted upon it. To think of him without the scorching pain in her soul.  
She stopped at the top, her long slender silhouette still, her eyes close. Heaving a ragged sigh, she closed her eyes at the sharp lance of pain reverberating through her, a familiar feeling these days. She crumpled down on the top staircase, unable to hold the sorrow in her from welling up and consuming her, her delicate body trembling in silence as her tears streamed gently down her cheeks.

Wall of books from the floor to the ceiling and an open glass wall greet her when she cracked open the door to the library in the second floor. So did a clutter of other things; a broken globe on the floor, an empty frame by the fireplace, a fading dressing gown on an armchair that has seen better days, piles of broken lamps and vase on one side of the room and shards of crystal everywhere, which she suspect is from the chandelier hanging by one cord that looks precariously close to falling. A desk stood proud in front of the stained glass wall and Raf gingerly made her way to it, her boots crunching the scattered crystal along the way.  
The desk, she discovered, was on a higher landing and was in a good condition despite the cobwebs and heavy dust layered on it. It was covered with paper weight, pen holds, open books, papers with an open pen on its side, as if whoever that was sitting on this desk had got up in the middle of writing and never came back. Remembering what her father had told her, he probably didn't.  
She moved around the table slowly, trying to imagine her father, a familiar stranger, with his black-blue hair pulled back, hunched over an old ancient scripture as he poured it over with his dark blue eyes. It wasn't hard. In the brief moments she had known him, he proved himself to be an intelligent caring man. He was brave man with integrity and Raf was proud to call him her father.  
She swallowed a sob back but a stray tear fall, dropping on a paperback that has fallen to the floor. Glancing down she bent over to pick it up, and read the title. ROMEO AND JULIET. Another one of her bittersweet memories welled up and her sweet cupid bow mouth curved in the now rare amused smile.  
"Tell me." She urged her face light with eagerness and barely contained amusement.  
He looked at her, light exasperation and embarrassment in his eyes."Why do you have to know?"  
"Come on, who else can you tell but me. I am a little shell-shocked now so hit me while it's still hot."  
He glanced at her then, an eyebrow raised in veiled cynicism, "Really, Raf?" She shrugged sheepishly, a cheeky smile on her face.  
"Alright, but don't laugh or I will never confide to you ever again, okay?"Raf nodded excitedly, her blue eyes on him. He flicked Raf an enquiring glance and received a gold encouraging nod.  
"It's Shakespeare. My favorite author is the moustache guy who writes crazy mushy stuff that suckers read," he blurted out in one embarrassing breath, blushing profusely. "There, satisfied?"  
As a reply, she gave him a bright smile that lit up her entire face barely keeping her amusement at bay.  
"Very."  
"You just love watching me squirm don't you?"  
"Maybe, just the tiny bit." They laughed at that, watching each other with such tenderness in their eyes.  
Involuntarily, their body inched closer until there's nothing but a breath between them.  
"We can't." she manages to breath out after a long static moment.  
"I know." He said as his amber eyes filled with sadness.  
They both smiled a smile of craving wistfulness.  
"Hey, Sulfus, what's your favorite one out of all of his mushy stuff that suckers read?"  
Sulfus chuckled softly, his face beautiful under the star light and the moon, pale dark and handsome. Her dark knight gave her a slow sensuous smile that curled her toe and quicken her heart.  
"Romeo and Juliet…"

A tinkling chime resounded through the mansion, waking her from her reverie. She walked gingerly through the clutter in the library and made her way down the stair and to the front door.  
Raf opened the door and Miki, Sweet and Urie all rushed forward to engulfed her in one big hug. Taken by surprise, Raf took a startled step back. "Whoa."  
"Jeez, you'd think you didn't see her for years or something."  
Raf turned her head to Kabale's voice, surprise lit in her eyes when she saw the trio Devils that were Sulfus's friend. Cabiria, Kabale and Gas stood there in their Terrestrial form, seemingly a normal human Goth threesome. Her friends released her from their tight group hug allowing Raf a chance to see them clearly. Like the Devil's, the three Angel's were also in their Terrestrial form, all donning cute t-shirt and comfortable jeans. She looked to the group in confusion.  
Even though she had been exiled and stripped of her power, the neither High nor Lower Spheres had been capable to take her Celestial sight and she had also retained some of her mind ability. So for the them to take their Earthly form came as a surprise to Raf.  
"The superior orders," a familiar voice said, answering her unasked question. Raf turn her head, and saw the two Headmaster and Headmistress, Arkhan and Temptel standing next to the group, also in their Terrestrial form, "We were told to take our Terrestrial form as precautions. We wouldn't want you be seen talking to clear air."  
"Aren't you going to invite us in?" the Devil Headmistress asked, inclining her purple head and peering at Raf above her black square spectacle.  
Raf blinked and smiled wanly at the odd group, "Come on in."

"Whoa, this place needs a lot of work. It's a dump." Cabiria exclaimed when they entered the living area. Raf didn't say anything to that, silently agreeing to Cabiria. But her friends winced and Urie glared at the Devil girl who grinned sheepishly back. Unlike her who dated a Devil and was actually quite used to the blunt, cynic and sarcastic way that Devil talked, her friend is proper Angel who played by the good ol' Celestial Rules and wouldn't even dream of breaking any of it never mind the biggest and the worst rule of all. Raf mouth twitched at her self-deprecating thought and turned to her unexpected guests. "So why are you guys are here?" she asked bluntly.  
They looked startled at her question and Temptel smiled, not missing a beat. "We're here to help you clean out your new home," she said gesturing at everybody, the Angel smiling brilliantly and the Devil grimacing at Temptel choice of word, "so you don't have to do this alone."  
"Help?" Kabale scoffed, rolling her eyes, "We're here as a punishment.  
Not help. You think we would want to be here willingly?"  
"Ah, yes about that, the higher and lower spheres thought it'd be a fitting punishment. Kind of like a Celestial community service."  
"Oh." She said looking down to the floor. She guesses she shouldn't be surprised. The Devil Enemies and the Angel's Friends did have a substantial amount of involvement in the whole incident and the Lower or Higher Sphere wouldn't even think of sparing them. It could be worse she suppose.  
They could be like her, a Neutral like Reina. She dug her nails into her palm at that thought. No, not like Reina. Never like her.  
"That's nice, I could use the help."  
"Duh, even I wouldn't live in this place." Kabale said smirking like she always does. "I just don't understand why you would want to live here when SHE used to live here." Kabale shuddered.  
"This was my home first," she said quietly, "beside, she kept a good maintenance so we don't need to strip it down and fix it inside out."  
"Yippee." Cabiria said eagerly, looking at the huge mansion in despair.  
Miki glared at her then smiled amiably at Raf, "That sounds optimistic, Raf."  
Temptel glanced at her watch and then snapped her finger bringing the room attention to her. "We don't have much time so let get down to business here." She spoke in a strict tone, her eyes on each of the Devil Enemies and Angel's Friend, "You will assist with Raf for as long as necessary or until the entire house are deemed inhabitable by her. You will come here every one day in the week and your earthly one will be undertake by the Golden School during the entire course of that day with few exception. You may discuss the day among yourself and decide it. You will be here from 9AM to 10PM. You WILL NOT: slack off to another place, come here in your Celestial form, use your powers or cut your time here in any way or any reason unless it is consulted with one of your instructors. Is that understood?" she finished with an icy cold look, cocking her brow for consent.  
They all nodded, wide eyed at the barrage of instruction. Raf almost smile in amusement. Temptel rage would be much worst in if she is in full throttle. Raf would know, she and Sulfus had seen it. But that little display of temper had already struck the fear in the poor group. They be horror-struck if they seen what she did.  
Temptel nodded with satisfaction after thoroughly terrifying the celestial teenagers and walked away, rising her hand to Raf as some semblance of a goodbye. Raf smiled back.  
"Very well, now that is out of the way we will leave you be." Arkhan smiled, looking at them gently. Then his eyes were on Raf, his blue eyes filled with sadness and his smile faltered. "Take care, dear child."  
Arkhan eyes were fillded with compassion but it left Raf feeling cold. She stares at him impassively, willing for anything; anger, dissapoinment or even sadness to come. But nothing did. And that made Raf feel empty.  
At Raf lack of response, he nodded, understanding her animousity, apparantly. Raf wanted to correct him, wanted to tell him she felt absolutely nothing but no words come. Arkhan is a reminder of her pain and probably will stay that for a long while.  
He turned to her friends, said some meaningless things and took his leave.  
The Angel's Friends look at her curiously, puzzled at her coldness at Arkhan while the Devil's Enemy stood akwardly on the side. She smiled at them, wiling it to be sincere.  
"Well, lets get started."


	2. Chapter 2:

**.**A/N**  
**Okay, first off, I just want to say that because I accidentally deleted my first draft of this chapter, I had to upload it later than I intended so sorry about that. Second, if you're interested in helping me editing and proof-reading my fan-fic, give me a heads up. I am in desperate help for any help honestly. And the Latin phrase is a very direct translation and is supposed to mean 'to satisfy a man desire'. The significance for it will be shown in later chapters.****

Chapter 2  
**Ad sature uno homo desiderium.**

_Raf clawed at the wall of dirt and stones until her fingers are sore and bloodied. Tears blurred her eyes and stings the cut on her cheek but kept at it furiously. She faintly heard a voice pleading..._  
_...please,please,please,please..._  
_...and realized it was hers. She dug and dug and realizing that it was useless, pounded her hand on the dirt. She felt the sharp stones dug into her palm and drew blood but it was a pain she welcomed. She can hear herself keening but it was a distant sound._  
_He's gone. He's gone and left her all alone. Sulfus is gone. Gone._  
_She screamed at the the thought in her head, angry at herself for thinking them and pounded on the wall entrapping her in safety until her hands bleed and her fingers feels like it's broken. It sank on her side useless and she stare at the dirt wall until her eyes blur. _  
_Then she felt the hands on her dragging her back from the wall. Away from Sulfus. She screamed kicking and clawing at the hands, the body and heard their grunt of pain. She resisted like a wild animal but somehow they mange to drag her away from the wall. The wall where on the other side where Sulfus is. It fall from her sight and suddenly the wall was gone. In it stead is the garden of the Golden School and as Raf felt her soul shattered to pieces, darkness sunk into her eyes_  
_"Sulfus...!"_

Raf woke up with a jerk, her trembling as the remnants of her dreams flash in her mind eye. Cold sweat clung on her like a second skin and Raf felt the cold seeps into her bone. Her blankets is tangled around her uncomfortably and Raf flung it aside, but the feeling of suffocation didn't ease. She tried to calm her ragged breath but failed miserably as it escalated to heaves. Raf pulled her knee to her chest and closed her eyes, feeling the omnious darkness in her bleed bigger.  
With an angry sigh she lifted herself out of the cot and paddle bare-feet to the sink, turning the faucet to full flow. She stuck her hand under the cold water and hissed in pain. She turn it up to the faint moonlight spilling through the slits of the window and saw the angry red marks on her palm where her nails bit. She pressed her thumb to it and a drop of blood marbled and trickled down to her wrist. She contemplated for a second to bandage her hand but dismissed the idea. It's just scratches.  
She grabbed the band-aids she threw in the cabinet above the sink the day before and slapped it on the cuts.  
She glanced at the clock and frowned when she saw the time. Five-thirty A.M. There's no way she can sleep now so she grabbed the blanket and folded it and changed out of her tank top and shorts to plain jeans and t-shirt.  
Something nudged against her leg and she smiled at the black and red-ringed snake coiling on the floor. "Hey, Basilisk."  
She crouched to pick the slithering snake and laughed when it burrowed itself in her hair. She took a hairband out of her bag and pulled her hair up in a ponytail leaving Basilisk to wrapped himself around Raf's neck.  
She pulled the blinders open and early morning light spilled in to the kitchen, flooding it with faint light. She slept in the kitchen because the other rooms in the house has no heater and the ones that does are not ones she's wiling to use. It seems that Reina only fixed the heater in only two of the rooms, the one she used and the one Raf did the day of her defeat. And neither room was deem livable by Raf until the whole place is scrubbed from the bottom up and cleared all traces of the witch.  
She went to the closet and pulled out all of her cleaning supplies, putting the smaller ones in the bucket when she heard a buzzing to the side of her head and saw Cox hovering next to her, bumping playfully with Basilisk. Basilisk uncoiled himself from Raf's neck and fall in a heap on the floor. Cox flitted to the serpent and circled around the snake head in an invitation. When the blue ladybug flitted to the hallway, the serpent was close in pursuit.  
"Don't go too far out." She cried to her two pet and followed down their path to the hall, musing how Sulfus's mascot came into her possession as she goes.

She stared out the window blankly, her mind blissfully empty. It's easier when it's empty, the gnawing pain in her chest numbed out when her mind is blank. Of course it reduce her to an emotionless being as she lays in the Golden School Infirmary Ward bed but nothing is better than the wreck she was. She has been in the ward for almost three weeks now, her injuries that made her bedridden has faded to angry red slash and her bruises diminishing slowly. But the huge gaping wound in her soul remained unhealed and Raf knew it would never be.  
The empty peace she was in was broken when angry shouts and the sounds of clambering feet on the ward floor was heard outside her room. Something gold, red and black slithered into her room and Raf eyes widen when she recognize it. She leaped of the bed, the most movement she made in weeks and scooped the slithering snake in her arms. The snake hissed happily and nestled comfortably in Raf arm, feeling at home instantly. Raf almost smiled at the the snake when the Devil Enemies came bursting in with Kabale leading the pack.  
Maroon eyes widen when she took in the Angel holding the Devil mascot in her arms like it's the most natural thing in the world. Cabiria gasped and slapped her hand over her mouth as she took in the situation and Gas gaped at the sight of the beautiful blonde, all bruised and cut up in a drab hospital gown, holding the serpent.  
Kabale were the first to collect herself and glared at the annoying snake in Raf's arm. "Good, you caught it. Now hand that thing over."  
Raf slowly look down to the snake in her arms and back up to the Devil girl; who felt a chill down her spine when she look at the Angel vacant eyes. "What happened?" Raf asked quietly, the snake burrowed deeper into her arm.  
"We were feeding it when it just went off and came here!" Gas exclaimed and received a glare from Cabiria for it.  
Kabale rolled her eyes and narrowed her eyes on the annoying snake."It doesn't matter what happened, we'll just go on our way once we had it back so why don't you give it here."  
Basilisk hissed at Kabale menacingly only to have the Devil girl hissed back. He curled himself around Raf neck and hid under the blond gold tresses.  
"Now look what you did, he'd never go back with us at this rate." Gas remarked. Kabale glared at him, her maroon eyes flashing angrily. Cabiria silently agreed to Gas but wisely kept silent.  
Raf sat back on her bed, weary after standing up after weeks of inactivity. "Why did he ran?"  
"Because it's being difficult that's why. You don't have to care about it, we're the ones that's taking care of him." Kabale practically growled. Raf company was the last thing she want especially after what happened. "It just gonna have to deal with it." If I could, I washed my hand off of it  
Kabale knows she's being unfair and she does know why the snake ran. Because looking at it remind her of her lost best friend/crush and that put her in a bad mood. When she is in a bad mood, she's a bitch and that a loose term to describe it. And she pratically inches from physically abusing it but that is not something Raf needs to know. Cabiria and Gas had to separate her from the snake countless of time and Gas actually shouted at her once because of her animosity toward the serpent.  
"Devil may suppose to be bad but there is a difference between bad and evil you know!"  
Kabale had been stunned and she realized that she was becoming so embittered that she took it out on Basilisk. She stayed away from it then letting Cabiria and Gas care for it. But the animosity is still there and she jsut happened to be there when she slithered out of reach and away from the Devil's dorm into the ward.  
Raf look at the serpent unblinking eye and realized something. Basilisk was Sulfus's mascot. In other words, Basilisk was a reflection of Sulfus. A part of the Devil. And that gave more comfort to her than all the soothing words and kind gestures put together.  
"Um, Raf, we kinda skipped school to catch him so... can't you give him to us?" Cabiria said, speaking up for the first time. Raf tighten her grip on Basilisk until the snake coiled uncomfortably in her hand. A thought formed in her head and before she knew it, it came out of her mouth.  
"You know, if you're having such a hard time taking care of him, why don't you let me do it?"

The tinkling chime halted Raf mid-scrub and she look up from her hands and knees on the floor. She glanced at her wrist watch. 8.45. They're early.  
There's no way she can get up and then sink back into the suds liket this. They just gonna have to come to her. Her pets was goofing around on the stairs and she leveled a glare their way. "Well, what are you waiting for, open the door. And don't act you can't either because it sure wasn't me who dragged that squirell in didn't I?"  
Basilisk bowed his head guiltily and Cox fluttered in the way that Raf knew as his guilty dance and went to answer the door.  
The six Celestial teenagers voice swam back to her she heard the note of arguments and the exchange of heat between them. Somethings never change and sometimes she was glad for that.  
The Angels came to view with the Devils close behind and they beamed at their best friend as she scrubbed the floor after they stripped off the carpet the yesterday. "Hai, Raf!"  
"Hey, guys." Raf tried to put as much enthusiasm in her voice and face as she could, really but by the slight falter in her friends smiles told her that she failed. "Um, you guys should get on with work. If there's anything just ask me. I'd be here scrubbing the floor."  
Not waiting for a reply, she bent down to her task, scrubbing furiously. The Devil went to theirs grumbling and her friends lingered with her as if to say something. She kept her head down, pretending to be ignorant to the pointed looks she's getting. They eventually gave up and went to their task and Raf breathe a sigh of relief.  
Maybe she get off from the talk her friends they'd insisted to have.  
Sure. When pigs fly.

****A/N**  
**Okay, so this is my re-write for the lost chapter. There were suppose to be two of them and I had intended to upload it every once a week. That obviously didn't happen. Hopefully my next chapter will come sooner but as I had painfully discovered, there's no guarantee. But here's a promise, Adrian, Sulfus supposed dopple-ganger will appear in the third chapter so stay tuned!****


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

He leans forward in his crouching position, making him look like a panther stalking a prey if anyone can see him. No one can of course, if there's anything he's good at, it's this. Being unseen. He stares at the blonde girl and felt a slight pang in his chest, which he snuffed as soon as it surfaces.  
Anyone would feel like this, after all, the girl is a beauty and he is a hot blooded male. It is inevitable. The girl moves toward the backdoor and he silently followed her pace, gliding invisibly between the trees. He was hiding in the small mini-forest just a quarter of a mile from the mansion with nothing but overgrown grass field in between; giving him a good view to the mansion. Of course that would have been impossible if he was human. Luckily he isn't then, he thought derisively.  
He watches silently as she filled a basin with water then dumped a black,red and golden ringed snake in it. She pour some liquid soap onto her hand as and lather it up on her scaly pet. His eyes narrowed on the snake, evaluating whether it is of any threat. The snake grinned at the girl and she grinned back. Well, the snake would have to mean more stealth on his part but it seems harmless enough.  
But he have to check it's species to know for sure. Wouldn't want some poisonous slithering snake mess with his plans. He smiled ferally and rolled his shoulder back.  
If he succeeded if he did this right, then she would grant him what he wanted the most. And he would do anything to get it. Even kill some unknown blonde who made his heart ache.

Raf stares at the address she had in her hand even though she probably can now recite it from memory if she wants to. She look around at the unfamiliar building around her and back down to the address scribbled at the back of a flyer about some random opera singer and the badly drawn map below it. It's official. She is lost.  
What had supposed to be a fairly simple thing to get done and over with turn into a pain in her ass and she cursed her stupidity for agreeing to doing this. She should have known better than to listen to their suggestion.  
Stupid town. Stupid human necessities. Stupid peer pressure over load.  
Raf admits that she needed to eat and sleep even in her Angel form but not as often as a Neutral albeit Terrestial does. She can goes days without eating as Celestial physiolgy system only requires fuel when his/her influence is weak. And the Celestial only sleep to dream not Angels and Devils are symbiotic creatures in that sense.  
However, she isn't a Celestial anymore. Ever since the Spheres has taken her power, she more often than not forget that little fact and had bout of fatigues a little too often.  
Before, in her early stages of grief, she couldn't care less about her body health. She let herself deteriorate so bad, she can barely get up from bed. She ate enough to keep her alive but not enough to live.  
She pushed her golden tresses from her face and sighed. She didn't want to. Do this she means. But she did made a promise...  
A bump form behind caused her to lurched forward and tumbled ungracefully to the ground. She hit the concrete pavement face first with a grunt and felt it dug to her elbows and the palm of her hand.  
"Oh, shit, shit! I am so sorry! Are you okay, miss?" Raf felt two strong hand lift her to her feet (literally) and pat her down. She glanced at her scratched elbow and look up to the man who rammed her down to the ground and froze with shock.  
Brown eyes look at her, concern written clearly in the earthen color. He was saying something but Raf heard none of it.  
"Miss are you okay? Did you hit the ground to hard? I'm really sorry miss, I didn't see where I was going. Miss? Miss?"  
Raf felt like hyperventilating and crying and lying back to the pavement in a feral position curled into herself. Instead she just crumpled with the man hand still around her to the ground gaping at him.  
Because on this stranger face was an exact replica of the man she loved. The pale skin, the chiseled but boyish face, high cheek bones, the slanted shape of his eyes and the lean and tall figure. With one distinct difference, instead of Sulfus amber eyes was the color of freshly dug earth. And the last thought in Raf head before she sunk into darkness was that it doesn't suit the man at all.

**A/N**  
**This is a short chapter because I'm still under a dreadful thing that they call writer's block. And Adrian is very, very different than Sulfus and the man on the beginning isn't him (Adrian I mean). But Sulfus of course is always and forever, Raf's true love. I am cutting the Angel's Friend and Devil's Enemies out of my future chapter a lot and they are gonna be only minimum amount of the Golden School mentioned. Don't worry, there is a plot, I think. Anyways, review please.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Raf woke up with a pounding head and a sore body. She open her eyes slowly and was greeted by a nondescript white ceiling and for a moment wished that the ceiling in her kitchen could be that clean if she can get Kabiria to clean it after she had the place overhaul. That girl has a magic hand of scrubbing; if she's willing to get it dirty; which she mostly don't.

Then she realized that she was staring up an unknown ceiling which also means she is in an unknown room. She got up hastily and scanned her surroundings. It was a neat if not typical room. She was lying on a double bed pushed against one corner of the room, a working desk on her right cluttered in an organized mess with mundane things you would expect anyone would have; stationeries, files of papers, books, a laptop and a desk lamp. There's a large wooden wardrobe right next to a door which she assumed the bathroom and a chest of drawers at the foot of the bed. It was a fairly sized room with white washed walls, random posters of a piano recital dated three years back and a blue rug.

Fairly harmless, looks like a common teenage room if it wasn't for the fact she was lying unconscious in it seconds ago. She stood up and noticed that her feet are bare. She scanned the room and spotted her flats next to the drawers. She was pulling it on when the door to the room opened.

Startled, she took a step back and hit the drawers. She clenched her shaking hands into tight fist until her palms bleed.

It was him. His eyes whipped to her when she did and seem to look relieved when he saw her up and waking. But Raf stood frozen, shaking like a leaf and watching him wide eyed. The man, which is all Raf could consider him as with his face, took in her demenour and smiled awkwardly which doesn't make Raf feel any better because the smile looks so wrong on his face. Sulfus face.

She averted her eyes, hating him for that reason alone.

"Hey, you're awake. Um," he began, "are you okay? Any light-head—"

"Where am I?" Raf asked cutting him off. He has Sulfus voice too, a deep voice with the slight huskiness and hearing him talk is unbearable.

She needs to get out of here. Now.

"Where am I?!" she asked again, her voice hard. She didn't see him flinched but she can feel it. The High Spheres took away most of her powers but she was still significantly more sensitive than an average person so it helps She really isn't willing to look at the man in the face right now. Or ever.

"Um, you're in my rental. After you passed out I didn't know what to do so I just—"

That voice, that VOICE!

Raf pushed herself off the chest of drawers, crossed the room and pushed past the man without a word. In her haste she barely registered the smallish flat made an educated guess for the exit and ran, leaving the man gaping at her in surprise.

She ran down the complex stairs (or at least she thinks it's a complex, she's not really seeing anything but the path she's on right now and how far away it'll take her) and burst out to night fall. A part of her recognized the street and feeling the familiar empty feeling rising up in her chest, she broke into a dead run

She finally left the boy flat. He ignored the ominous emotion unfurling when she did it like her life depended on it as she ran from the complex and followed her like he's supposed to do. He kept up with her easily though the girl was fast.

She didn't even bother to stop to catch her breath, stopping in about half a mile or so only when her legs gave out. And he noticed she was crying. His sharp eyes saw the trickle of tears streak down her pale cheek as she silently wept.

Her lips were chanting a name and for some reason it made him see red.

Adrian stood there, shell shocked into paralysis.

She ran. Just by what, three sentences from him since they 'ram' into each other? Adrian know he has a bad track record with women in general but it usually after the third date the very least that they gave him the 'you're-nice–but-just-not-my-type' speech.

Not that he gave her a good impression or anything, taking her home like that. He knew he should have sent her to the hospital when she blacked out on him.

But oddly enough Adrian couldn't. When he had cradled the unconscious girl in his arm, she had felt oddly…familiar.

Which is ridiculous of course. He never met her before today and probably would never do again.

He hopes she doesn't go and press charges against him or something. He doesn't think it be good on his scholarship. Adrian groaned and run his palm over his face.

He was a stickler for rules and was so sensible he actually got kicked by one of his friends because of it. One time, one time he decides to go wild, it was to kidnap a girl just because she felt _familiar._

Stupid.

A/N

I actually have a valid reason other than procrastination and writer's block for the late update this time. So my modem decides to go Rambo on me and I lost my WI-FI for like a couple of days. And it was hell. Pure hell. Teenagers should not be shown what it feels like to live without the great WWW. Never ever EVER! After that couple of days, it was so excruciatingly slow, I just got angry and smashed my laptop on the floor. Kidding! I didn't actually did that though I did sell my laptop because it got so bad I was lucky anybody would want it for scraps never mind pay for that piece of shit. So now I am currently sharing computer with my mom. Which is not awesome because her PG is way advanced it took me considerable skill to disable it so I can update. Though the good news is, I upgraded from notepad to actual word document so I don't have to cringe in shame when I re-read my fics and saw the horror of my mistakes. Not to mention I'm too lazy to take it down, re-format it properly and fix said mistakes. So hope you like the new chapter and I'll try to double the effort on updating as fast as I could though you really shouldn't count on it.

And reviews please. I'll love you all if you do because I'm an attention whore like that.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
_ "Raf, you have no idea to what extent am I willing to go to protect you. The world may crumble around us and I wouldn't care, but you matter. You are always going to matter."_  
Raf woke up with a jolt and saw Sulfus amber eyes floating above her. But a blink later it was gone, only to be replaced by the kitchen barely lit ceiling.  
She drew in a ragged breath and pushed herself up, her legs still throbbing from the impromptu exercise it went through. She pulled her legs up to her chest and rocked gently back and forth on her cot. It was a something she did after every nightmare, the mechanical of the movement soothing her. Sometimes, she felt settled enough to sleep again but those instances is rare. Most times, she simply rocked herself back and forth and then works herself to death cleaning the mansion.  
But her legs was trembling and she felt so tired. If only she could just stops. If she just stops, the perpetual weariness she's in would be gone, so would the grief and the pain.  
Seeing that man yesterday had rocked her world so much, she felt like she's tilting when she's standing straight. And right now, Raf is barely on her knees never mind her feet.  
So the idea of her simply stopping the constant fight with her grief and pain and give in was, appealing. It's not like it was a great loss anyway.  
Sure, her friends and adopted family would grief. It's a given after all. But they'd get over it. After all, the last year and a half, between her absence emotionally and physically, the loss would be, easier. She was in a way already gone.  
That's it, she just need to…  
_ "Live for me. Just be okay. Just be okay, Raf, can you promise me that?"_  
Raf eyes flew open and she drew a ragged breath.  
No. She wouldn't give in like this. She has a promise to keep and she will live and she will be somewhat okay. Even if it kills her to do it.

Her legs was too sore for her to do any real work not too mention it was raining so she sat up in the ballroom and sew the curtains instead. Her friends and even the Devils has told her to hire someone all the grunt work. With her inheritance, she can afford it.  
But the work was a sort of therapy for her really and it kept her occupied.  
She heard the sound of the front door opening. Her eyes drifted to the clock. 4:30 AM.  
They're early, was her blank thought, as she sew, listening to the footsteps of the Devils and Angels. She frowned, hearing the irregularities in the sounds and the lack of bantering voices.  
Bap, bap, bap.  
The sound sounds heavy. Like a large man. And solitary, Raf realized belatedly, scampering up from her seat, her sewing abandoned.  
She ran to kitchen and cradled Basilisk and Cox who was lounging in her cot in her arms. She ran to the trap door she discovered while she was clearing the place up and yanked it open. Basilisk, wrapped itself around Raf's neck, leaving Raf hands open.  
It opened easily, and she thanks the great forces and beyond that she cleaned and greased this trapdoor. It was one of the reason she choose to stay in the kitchen instead of the rooms and right now, she has never been thankful that she didn't give in to her plea for her to stay in one of the bedroom.  
She lowered herself gingerly down the tall shaft and yanked the chain to close the trapdoor after her head. She landed down at the bottom lithely and ran down the dark tunnel that she knew ran down to the basement.  
Then she heard something that almost made her heart stops. The sound of the trapdoor creaking open.  
She had forgotten to lock the trapdoor.

**A/N Keep going, there's more...**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
He saw the dark man slipped into the mansion, through the frickin front door, his footsteps like the banging of a drum. He was trying (and failing) to tiptoe in the mansion but it is an old creaky home and knowing the girl, being such a light sleeper would no doubt heard it.  
And she's awake and sewing. He can see her from the ballroom windows from his perch on the tree. He knows that she heard the man, her head tilted torward the noise._ And she went back to sewing._  
Unconsciously, a growl tore from his throat and the girl lifted her head again, her face wary this seem to listen at the lumbering man with a confused look on her face before her eyes widened and she sprang off the chair.  
She ran deeper into the house and he broke into a run, approaching the mansion at a breakneck speed. He knows where she's going, having seen her day by day. The trapdoor in the kitchen lock wasn't secure enough so even if she locked it wouldn't hold. _She was screwed._  
He knows that he is breaking orders, coming to the girl rescue like this but right now he doesn't care. He smashed into the ballroom mirror and morphed.

Raf halted for a moment when she heard the trapdoor opening before she turn on her heels and ran. Her legs was so sore but she pushed it to take one running leap after another. She faintly heard a thumping chasing her and her heart leapt to her throat.  
She knows there's an intersection down front and if she's fast enough, hopefully she can lose the other guy or at least give her some time to escape the house. She realized now that going further inside was a bad move.  
She heard a grunt behind her and turn her head slightly to look behind her and saw only shadows. That terrifies her more than seeing anything and her steps faltered.  
Big mistake, she discovered as her legs seem to collapse on itself and she fell down to her side and her shoulder and hip hit the concrete ground hard. She cried out at the pain and heard the thumping come to a stop close to her.  
She turn herself to her back and can faintly see a large shadow coming to a close above her. Basilisk hissed at the man? and Raf try to find anything that she can use as a weapon.  
Well, if she suddenly developed ability to see in the dark, that might be a useful thing to do. She also figured her chances of fighting bare went down considerably since she can't see clearly in the hazy light of the tunnel. And the man doesn't seem to be bothered by the near darkness at all. Does that mean he isn't Terrestrial?  
If he isn't, then Raf is in a much deeper shit than she thinks.  
She heard a rustle of cloth, like the man was taking something out of his pocket and she tensed, bracing herself mentally physically and mentally.  
She heard a odd sounding crack and an eerie green glow flood the tunnel with light. She only had a moment to see the man, a large bearded man with stout bodybuilder figure and smiling maliciously at her before a black streak took him down with a wild banshee like cry.  
The glow sticks in the man hand scattered all over the tunnel and one rolled to Raf feet. She was clutching at the wall desperately as she watch wide eyed as the man flails between the illuminated area of the tunnel and the dark, the black streak flitting close.  
She heard ripping of flesh and gruesome sound of bones breaking. The man screamed desperately, a sound that pierced Raf soul and she whimpered brokenly. In interval, she heard fierce hissing and savage growling.  
The man gave one last broken cry and Raf belatedly realized that huge wreaking sobs was wretched from her frail body and as suddenly as it began, it stopped.  
She heard the softest whisper of sound and found herself face to face with a black panther.

**A/N**  
**Ha ha, a cliff hanger! Since I decided to be nice and give you guys two chapter I'll leave you with this. I know I put Adrian and not Mystery Guy in the summary but the story writes itself really. Bet you didn't see that coming.*evil laugh***  
**Love reviews by the way. The more the better, I always say. Just, you know putting that out there. Review and all that. Okay, bye.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N So, between looking for work, life in general and me getting suck into a new fandom, there hasn't been a lot of time to edit this chapter despite having it written out for a while now. Sorry for the late update. If all goes well, I might update a new chapter within the month this time. R&R please, it is very much welcomed!**

Chapter 7

The smell of fresh blood. The eerie glow of greenish light. The blood pooling near her folded legs. The warm dry draft engulfing her in it's heat. The cold sweat clinging to her skin. The patches of warm tears on her cheek. And the fact that it was getting harder and harder to breath.

She was aware of all that but her full attention was on the sleek black panther lounging in front of her, its fur matted with drying blood. Its eyes, slits of black in round sharp amber was on her and she stares back, her blue eyes wide with morbid fascination.

_It's beautiful._

Never mind that it had mauled a man in front of her and literally tore him to pieces. Never mind that the same long canine and sharp claws is now pointed at her and quite possibly in her if she even budged from her awkward position on the wall. Never mind that this could be her last living moments when she had just resolved not to take her own life just less than a couple of hour ago.

It was beautiful. And Raf realised, that it was one creature she wouldn't mind dying to.

It butted his head onto Raf's knee and she jerked back in fear. She look into the expressive amber slitted eyes trained on her and was eerily reminded of Sulfus's. A low growling sound erupted from the panther as its eyes roved Raf body and Raf gripped the brick behind her until her nails sunk into the brick of the wall.

_"Live."_

A rattle and then a crack. Raf and the panther continued staring into each other eyes and Raf flicked her wrist, just a slight pull.

_"For me."_

Raf hand whip tight and connect to the panther head. It was unknown who was more surprised when it did, Raf or the beast. The brick shattered on impact and Raf jack-knife from the ground and ran.

_"I love you."_

Mourning time is over. Raf would live and stay alive, even if it killed her.

She turns her head briefly into the dim light behind her and felt a stab of pain at the crumpled shadow she left behind.

Mayhap, at this rate, it just will.

Gone. They were gone.

Shortly after making her escape, she had went to her nearest neighbor and sprouted something to the effect of a wild animal. She doesn't quite remember, her blood was coursing with adrenaline, her mind blank with panic. She must have looked quite the sight, bloody and wild eyed because they took her at face value and let her in with no hesitation.

They cocooned her in warm blanket; wiped dry blood mated on her face and shoves a cup of warm tea down her throat before calling the police.

Basilisk had taken refuge inside her sweater as to not freak the nice neighbor and Cox had latched onto her hair. Their presence was soothing on Raf frayed nerves but she was still too distraught to speak clearly.

The police had gone to her mansion, went down her trapdoor and came back with the most distressing news.

They were gone. The blood was there, a very disturbing amount of it to attest to her story but nothing more. And Raf felt like her blood had run cold.

Days had passed since then. And life continued as if nothing happened.

For a brief moment, Raf wondered why she didn't went to the Celestial being at the obvious attempt at her life or as to why she choose to say nothing of the attack to her Angel Friends.

The reason she realized was simple. She was no longer part of that world. She still loved her friends, of course and held the tentative but amicable relationship with the Devils to heart but she wasn't theirs anymore. So, her problem is her own and thus not theirs.

They (the Angels and the Devils) didn't come on _that_ day. Nor did they come by for ten days after. She discovered later that they couldn't come because of an incident at the Golden School (they didn't tell her what it was and she didn't bother asking) and were left blissfully unaware of her predicament.

Raf was getting better at pretending. She smiled, gradually so it wouldn't be suspicious, stop working her back off though she still do it with the same intensity and made to talk with her friends more even if the topic of Sulfus is still avoided like a plague.

To others, she was improving. Raf however, knows for a fact that she wasn't improving. She was only pretending.

But one can only pretend so much before they break.


End file.
